Hero
by AmIStillFeeling
Summary: A large criminal organization has come to Jump City, and made a major mistake soon after. Raven teaches them a lesson they'll remember for the rest of their lives.


In one of Jump City's less reputable bars, Thursday night was Poker Night, and a game was underway between some of the city's few successful criminals. "Successful" was a relative term, of course. In any city protected by a Superhero or Super team, "successful" simply meant escaping with your freedom or your life. And the successes gathered around the table had been successful long enough to know the ins and outs of Jump's protectors.

"You hear about that cult that just moved in? I forget what they called 'emselves..." Said Crook A, who we'll call "Clarence" for convenience.

"Meh," Crook B, or "Tabitha" responded. "You know how it is. They're gonna find out that just 'cause the Titans are kids, don't make 'em pushovers, and scurry off with their tail's 'tween their legs. 's what happens to most of the new meat in this town."

"Well I heard something, I'm bettin' that they'll be runnin' after this."

"What's that?"

"Their first job in their new stompin' grounds? They kidnapped a Titan and threatened to kill him if the rest of 'em interfered with their plans."

"Ohh," Tabitha groaned in sympathy, "bad move, that. Who'd they nab?"

"Get this, it was Beast Boy."

Tabitha actually burst out laughing at that one. "Dear lord! They'll be lucky if there's enough of 'em left to _bury!"_

Clarence joined his partner in laughing and the two told the story to rest of the criminals who frequented the bar, and a good laugh at other's misfortune was had by all present.

* * *

The door was made of sold steel, four inches thick, and rated to stop artillery shells. Raven could tell, because they used the same make in the tower, although this one seemed a bit more robust than the ones they used. Must be an upgraded model.

She raised her hand towards the door and clenched her fist. The door obediently tore from it's runnings and crumpled up like a paper ball, allowing her to see the phalanx of guards on the other side. There was quite a few of them, with the front line laying on the floor, the second sitting, the third kneeling and the fourth and final standing, each with their guns trained on the young woman who had just torn through fortifications that could keep out tanks. All as she suspected.

As the hail of bullets bounced off her barrier, she tapped her chin, considering the fate of these fools stupid enough to block her way. Should she send them to Rage to deal with? Or perhaps give dear old Daddy some visitors? Making her choice, she flicked her wrist in their direction and all but one of her wannabe captors screamed as black tendrils yanked them through a portal that appeared for only a moment on the corridor's wall.

Ah, the sound of multiple simultaneous screams of mortal terror, suddenly silenced. The finest symphony could not rival such a sound to her.

However, she did leave one behind, as she intended to. The wretch shook in fear so hard the barrel of the gun he aimed at her was pointed just about anywhere but it's intended target, and she calmly approached him, slowly reached out and grabbed hold of the weapon, and squeezed. It promptly melted.

She lifted her new prisoner by the neck and slammed him against the wall, peeling the helmet from his head to make sure that he was looking into her four, glowing red eyes. He whimpered.

"Tell me where he is kept. And then tell me where your boss is." She demanded. Her voice was as cold as the void.

"N-never."

So, the vermin had some backbone.

She retrieved a small object with a switch on it from her belt, pressed it to the guard's thigh, and turned it on.

The screams that resulted this time were not quite as nice to listen to, Raven thought. There was something to be said for the group harmonics, and the sudden cut-off was oh so satisfiying.

"Had enough?" She asked, turn it off. She slammed him into the wall again. "Where?"

"S-s-same place." He choked out. "Bottom Floor. Torture chamber."

She dropped him immediately and flew down the hallway. She had wanted more time to destroy, but if the closest living being to her heart was being kept in a _torture chamber_ , she would not waste time.

There was an elevator at the end of the hall. She pulled it out of it's shaft and into the hall with a mental tug, and jumped down.

* * *

She could feel him. In her current mental state, all the seals in the world couldn't keep her from sensing Beast Boy through these doors. She didn't even raise her hand this time as the molybdenum steel glowed bright and melted before she touched it, security door after security door giving way as if the molecules themselves feared her. And they should.

At the end of the hall was a large room full of unspeakable machines and instruments, with her goal, the light of her dark life, Beast Boy, Covered in lacerations, bruises and blood, chained to the far wall. Someone else stood beside him, aiming what she dimly realized might be a weapon at him and was barking something unimportant at her. The weapon crumbled into dust and its wielder was flung against the wall with no move on her part. She didn't have time for anything else right now but what she was looking at, Her best friend chained against a wall.

As she walked past them, each of the room's foul torture devices exploded, crumbled or melted, sparing nothing. As soon as she reached him, the chains that bound Beast Boy snapped open and dropped him into her waiting arms. He didn't deserve to be caught by her powers. He deserved to be here, in her arms, held against her chest, feeling her warmth and her heartbeat.

His eyelids fluttered open and he looked up blearily into the face of his savior. He saw her matted, knotted hair, the stains of blood that was certainly not hers, and the four eyes, glowing red. Behind her, he could see dark energy flowing freely, the tendrils searching behind her for more to break and destroy, and he could feel the absolute rage that flowed through her.

Beast Boy smiled as best he could with his face so swollen, and croaked out, "Rae... You came... Are you... okay?"

Raven kissed him on the forehead. "I am not, but I'm not done here. Stay with Happy." She gently, _gently_ handed him off to a pair of arms that looked much like her own which reached through a portal that opened in front of her. As whoever was on the other side turned away, the edges of a pink cloak whipped into the chamber before being pulled back just as the portal closed.

Her job was done. Beast Boy was now safe and the cult of something-or-other would be too damaged by her rampage to do much of anything in the near future. And yet, while the job was done, she didn't really _feel_ done. As she turned to consider this, she caught sight of the cult leader she had thrown against the wall aiming some sort of artifact at her. Whatever it was or was supposed to do, she wouldn't get the chance to learn, as her powers reached out independently of herself and crushed it to powder and then set it on fire for good measure. Well, that worked out just fine, she figured.

The poor cult leader looked as if he had soiled his robes as his eyes flicked between the burning dust at his feet and the embodiment of horror floating up to him. "B-blasphemy... should have been... indestructible..." He babbled.

"Nothing is indestructible to me." She purred, pleased with the direction this day was taking. "Now... what will I do with you...?" Oh, the fun she would have.

* * *

Thanks to the power of Raven's emotions, much of Beast Boy's injuries were either healed or soothed in no time after his arrival in Nevermore. Happy brought his spirits up with plenty of silly jokes as the gaggle of gray women pumped him full of their combined healing energies. Affection collected up everyone's cloaks to make a warm, multicolored, familiar-smelling bed for him (with her own cloak as the blanket, of course) and Timid, shaking, held his hand to comfort. Brave entertained him with an enthusiastic retelling of Raven's invasion of the hideout, and Rude had some choice words to say about his captors. Sloth laid down in the bed of cloaks next to him, citing a need to keep him warm, and Knowledge agreed with her. Even Rage showed up, patted him on the head more gently than she had done anything in her life, and swore bloody vengeance on anyone that would harm him again, before leaving.

He was quite well taken care-of.

Hours after she put him there, Raven pulled him back out and into the Tower's med-bay. She laid him down on a cot, and looked him over.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I am now. Are you?"

She thought about that one a while. "...I'm not sure."

"Whaddya mean?"

She sighed. "I mean... I wish I could say I lost control. I wish I could say that was all Rage's doing... but it wasn't. That was all me in there... And, I enjoyed it. And I'm ashamed of that."

Beast Boy leaned up and hugged her. She didn't move away from him. "I don't blame you for anything, Rae. We all know what happens when I get mad, heh."

She smiled at him. It was very slight, but that was how it went for Raven, and her patient's heart soared. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You didn't. You _kicked ass,_ and I was so happy to see you."

She colored a bit. "Thank you." She bit her lip. "Can I... I want to say something, and I need you to not interrupt me."

Beast Boy mimed zipping his lips up.

"I... If anyone else on the team was kidnapped like that, I would rescue them too... But, it wouldn't be like that. I would have waited and gone with the rest of the team. I wouldn't have let my emotions fly unchecked. I wouldn't have risked so much. That was all for you and you alone."

He looked stunned. "Bu... Wh... Why?"

"Because... Because you're a special person to me. You're closer to my heart then anyone else."

"Wh-What does that mean, Rae?"

"I'm not sure." She ran her fingers through his hair absentmindedly. "Don't tell anyone about this. I'm sure that I love you, Garfield. I'm not sure if it's a romantic love or a platonic love... but I love you, and I feel it in every fiber of myself. I'm more certain that I love you than I am that the skies are blue and the grass is green."

"I love you too."

She smiled and lay on the cot beside him. It wasn't rated for two people but they were both pretty small and light. "I'm very tired now," she murmured into his ear. "And Robin's going to be upset with me for... several things. So, can I rest here, with you?"

"Sure," He reached back and took hold of her hand. "You're my hero, Rae. Sleep well."

* * *

AN: This was a prompt I sent to abirdandabeast on tumblr, then I got so hyped up from reading their fill I wrote one myself. I hope you liked it, and I'd really appreciate some reviews if you have the time!


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